How To Enjoy Your Yoga Practice Outside
*Guest Blog Post by Ryan from Fitness Goals
There is nothing more relaxing than spending time with nature. Studies done have proven that this has many positive effects on your mental and physical health. When you combine nature with your yoga practice, you can expect nothing short of extreme yogi euphoria.
A little touch of the beautiful sky, fresh breeze, your toes beneath the earth, the beautiful terrain to feast your eyes and your yoga practice should be a daily portion for better benefits of both worlds. The connection to nature and the outdoor activities work on powering up yoga for more significant effects. To get the best of this practice, you will need to keep the following tips for bringing your yoga practice to the outdoors in mind.
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1. Bring Water
Remember to take lots and lots of water. The humid air and the hot sun can cause overheating and dehydration. Yoga is a form of exercise that will cause you to break a sweat, resulting in your body to lose heat and water. So the next time you are planning a yoga practice on the outside, bring a couple of water bottles with you. After all, 60% of your body is water, and your organs need it to function properly. Adequate drinking water will keep you adequately hydrated and energized. Listening to your body will also help you in determining when it’s time to take a sip of cold water.
2. Mat or no mat
The question that lingers in the minds of many people as they prepare for yoga practice is whether to pack a mat or not. There are many clear benefits result from direct contact between your body and the earth. For one, Earthling reports that touching the ground directly with your hands and feet provides means of grounding, which is associated with numerous health benefits such as relieving pain and increasing vital energy.
Another report says that there are essential bacteria found on the ground that play a huge role in improving our health. Doing yoga on the outside can help you achieve an even higher dimension of your yoga practice. One thing is that your hands can easily sink into the earth allowing for better and more profound stretches.
On the other hand, if you come across a potentially hazardous terrain, then an outdoor mat will come in handy. You don’t want pricks and splinters to cut short your outdoor yoga experience.
3. Pick the Right Spot
The first thing you need to do is to look for a space that will fit your class and if you are alone, look for a safe and easily accessible space. Though finding a levelled ground may be impossible, search for an area that is least inclined and even.
Yoga requires peace and silence. It's, therefore, important to avoid crowded and noisy areas as this will potentially distract you, spoiling your practice.
Since your location will most probably affect your mood which will, in turn, affect your practice, it is wise to pick a space that makes you comfortable and peaceful. When the sun is too hot, stretching under the shade may be a better option.
Though there are some benefits associated with practicing in the open, sometimes the sweating can prove to be too much and too unpleasant.
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4. Bring a good book
Yoga immerses you into a peaceful stillness so that the first few minutes can be a little jarring. Getting jolted back into the reality only to find fluorescent lights and gym equipment can be pretty irritating. However, the natural world gives you an opportunity to relish the incredibly relaxed state that you bend over to achieve. One way to transition over is to allow yourself to linger a little longer to read a chapter of your favourite book as you enjoy the environment. You can even go two chapters deep for a prolonged relaxation.
5. Pack a sweatshirt
Another thing that you need to pack is a sweater. Though you don’t need to wear a sweatshirt when you are doing yoga, you may find the weather may change especially if you are practicing in the evening. In such a case you will not want to walk back home shivering.
Apart from this, there is another use for a sweatshirt during practice. Yoga practice revolves around being able to relax. It is a fact that relaxing when the sun is damn bright can be very difficult. Using the sleeve of the sweatshirt can help you solve this problem quickly. It will also help block your eyes from stairs, and truthfully a yoga practice on the outside is bound to attract a lot of attention which can cause you to be self-conscious and thus unable to relax
6. Bring relaxing music
Music plays a significant role in helping you relax and connect with the environment. The rhythms provide a rhythmic pattern for you to follow. However, when practicing on the outside, music may not be necessary.
This is because the absence of music allows you to enjoy and connect more with the immediate nature. The sounds made by the waves, birds, and animals will enable you to tune your senses during practice. Yoga on the outside comes with its free outdoor music for you to soak up in.
There are so many benefits that come with spending time in the open. The fact that yoga fits right in the environment means that you have no excuse for not taking up the advantages. To ensure that you get the best experience practicing outside, you will need to follow the simple guided above. Your body and mind will thank you for this.
